As a metalhead and father of two children, I found this video amusing and, occasionally, a little bit too real.
http://youtu.be/r7ZnOlVD3Ds
As a metalhead and father of two children, I found this video amusing and, occasionally, a little bit too real.
http://youtu.be/r7ZnOlVD3Ds
Writers and editors at The Independent had some fun with an article about a virus that, as they put it, “makes people more stupid.” The problem is that they confuse impaired cognitive function with stupidity. The headline may get attention, but it’s irresponsible.
Mood music:
http://youtu.be/4GzUh4PJVx8
The article begins with this:
I first wrote this in 2014. Amid COVID-19, a lot of us are going to go through bouts of depression. Back then, I found it useful to use the five stages of grief as a reference point for what I was feeling. It helped me get to the other side. May it help you now. It won’t make the depression go away. But it might help you deal with it.
There are plenty of articles out there about the so-called five stages of grief. Based on my experiences in that department, I find the writings mostly accurate and valuable.
I’ve been thinking lately about how there are also stages of depression, not unlike those of grief. Identifying them can help you know where you are and what’s going on. Note: this is not a scientific effort. It is simply based on my own experiences.
Mood music:
Acceptance is where I’m at now. I long ago accepted that frequent bouts of depression come with being me and that there are things I can do to keep it in check. It’s time to reboot the system.
“Melancholy” by BaxiaArt
In what seemed like seconds after turning the calendar to November, a wave of depression hit me hard. It dogged me through the weekend and it’s with me now. With it comes feelings of self-doubt.
Mood music:
http://youtu.be/N88YgEKGMzI
Those who know me see me as a confident man, and most of the time I am. I’ve been through enough to know that with the right attitude and will, things ultimately work out.
I’m usually confident about my workmanship and ability to see through the clutter of life. But in this wave of depression, that part of me has gone missing. I find myself doubting my abilities.
In this state, the things I do wrong seem bigger and more pronounced than the things I do right. It can be paralyzing, but I can only allow it to be that way for a short time.
At work and at home, I have a lot of responsibility. I can’t neglect those responsibilities, no matter how hopeless I feel.
So I do what I’ve always done. I show up and take my best swing.
In the big picture, beyond the depression, I know I do more good than not. The depression is usually temporary, and I know that before long, the positives will look bigger than the negatives.
In real life, the positives ARE bigger than the negatives. But for now, I feel like shit.
I need to get back to using my coping tools — playing guitar every day, setting aside time daily for prayer, and seeing a therapist. Yesterday I found a new therapist, so I’m almost back on track there.
The Christmas season is usually when I feel like this. My goal this time is to make that the season where I emerge from the storm, stronger than ever.
“After the Storm” by William Bradford
One of the best examples of what makes the information security community special is Hackers for Charity, an engine for good started by hacker Johnny Long several years ago.
Mood music:
Long set up shop in Jinja, a town just east of the Ugandan capital of Kampala. Hackers for Charity brings to bear the skills of hackers worldwide to provide free technical support to cash-strapped local charities and organizations.
Volunteers work to improve Internet connectivity and put technology into the hands of those who would otherwise be left out. The organization also provides those it serves with a wealth of technical training.
One way it raises funds is by selling T-shirts, bracelets, stickers and hand-crafted leather accessories online and at security conferences around the world. The leather crafts are made in Uganda and include iPhone cases, iPad cases, journals, tumblers, coffee mugs, shot glasses and more.
The organization is well known in the security community, and most of what has been written about it has come from Long. But recently, Khalil Sehnaoui, managing partner and founder of Krypton Security, journeyed to Uganda and spent time with Long and his neighbors.
Sehnaoui kept an online diary that delves deep into the soul of Hackers for Charity. It’s a must read for anyone who cares about helping others, as is this post Long wrote about the visit.
Kelly Lum (a.k.a., @aloria) has been an acquaintance for nearly four years, though I wouldn’t say we’re close friends. We’re both part of the information security community and bump into each other at the occasional conference. When we do talk, we find one thing in common.
A life-long struggle with depression.
Mood music:
I’ve been open about it in this blog. She’s been open about it in her social media postings.
Last week, she published an article in which she gives the fullest account yet of her struggles. Specifically, she writes about how finding beauty in abandoned, decayed places helped her find an appreciation and even a love for her inner demons.
As one of our common connections said online, if this were the first chapter of a book, I wouldn’t put it down.
I long ago learned to find the best parts of myself from within the mental disorder. By accepting OCD and depression as part of what makes me tick instead of a contagion that needed to be destroyed, I found my way forward in the world. I’ve found beauty and grace in the struggle. It’s a blessing to reach that realization. I’m glad Kelly has reached that place, too.
It doesn’t end the pain, but it brings purpose to it.
Thanks for sharing, Kelly, and Godspeed.